News
Controversial aquaculture projects threaten Myanmar’s remaining mangroves
Most of the waterways surrounding the islands of the Mergui archipelago in the Andaman Sea are lined with mangroves, and the one leading into the island of Kala from the east was no different. But as our speedboat rounded a corner, we came up against ...
Wudan Yan
Giving a dam about the Mekong
Originating in the Tibetan highlands and running through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the Mekong and its tributaries provide water, food and income for 60 million people. The longest river in Southeast Asia is home to the world’s largest inland fishery. It ...
Sheith Khidhir
Wealthy Countries' Trash Overwhelms Southeast Asia
Wealthy countries are exporting millions of tons of plastic waste to Southeast Asia where the recycling systems are becoming overwhelmed, leading to widespread pollution problems, according to a joint investigation by Greenpeace and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA). In early 2018, China banned the import of plastic waste ...
Vietnam and the Mekong’s Synthetic Drug Epidemic
Although Vietnam has some of the world’s most stringent drug laws — those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face death – the country has also been facing the existence of a key smuggling ...
Hai Thanh Luong
Huge ganja bust on Mekong riverbank, smugglers flee
A security patrol team seized almost 500kg of compressed marijuana abandoned by a smuggling gang on the bank of the Mekong River in That Phanom district on Tuesday night. The team, comprising soldiers, border patrol police and officials, spotted four or five men unloading sacks ...
New-styled cooperatives in Mekong delta make breakthrough
The Mekong Delta is facing climate change with extreme impact of natural disasters causing difficulties for agricultural production, especially smallholder farmers are extremely vulnerable to agricultural risks and climate change. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and locals authorities in Mekong delta provinces have ...
China to Provide 1 Billion Yuan Socioeconomic Grant to Myanmar
China will provide a grant of 1 billion yuan (225.39 billion kyats, or approximately US$148 million) for socioeconomic development projects under an economic and technical cooperation agreement signed in Beijing last week. Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release on Monday that the ...
Programme helps fight wildlife violations in Vietnam
The Nature Education Centre recently announced the findings of a programme on the assessment of the spread of wildlife violations in 42 districts of nine provinces and cities with the involvement of 12,840 trading establishments, in an effort to ease the phenomenon. The programme, which was ...
New measures to tackle oil palm downward pricing trend
The Ministry of Commerce has stressed the government’s efforts to solve low pricing of oil palm kernels, bringing forward measures over the next two months to bring down the stock volume to a normal level. The Department of Internal Trade Director General, Wichai Phochanakij revealed today ...
Ministry approves protected area status for Yeak Laom Lake in Ratanakkiri
The Ministry of Environment on Friday approved the registration of the Yeak Laom Lake community natural protected area in Ratanakkiri province to support the preservation of natural resources, culture and eco-tourism. The indigenous community hailed the decision, but said it had come too late to save ...
Voun Dara